Prayer

As God’s children, one of the most important ways our relationship with our Heavenly Father is enriched is through prayer. It is easy to fall into a pattern of shallow and repetitious prayers and to go through periods of time when we don’t even know how to pray. So how do we pray? How do we make sure that we are doing it enough and doing it right? Let’s explore what the Bible has to say about this important topic.

In the Old Testament, prayer was limited to the people who loved and obeyed God. There are several examples of people who needed a physical salvation who were not able to pray for themselves. Pharaoh, in Exodus 8 and 9, asked Moses and Aaron to pray for God to take the plagues away. In Numbers 21:7 the Israelites asked Moses to pray for God to remove the fiery serpents. In 1 Samuel 12 the people asked Samuel to pray for them. Several passages in both the Old and New Testament tell us God does not hear the prayers of the wicked, including: Psalm 18:40-41, Psalm 66:18, Proverbs 1:28-29, Proverbs 21:13, Proverbs 28:9, Isaiah 59:2, Jeremiah 11:14, Jeremiah 14:11-12, Ezekiel 8:15-18, Micah 3:2-4, Zechariah 7:11-13, John 9:31, James 4:3. So you see, prayer is a special thing reserved for God’s people and it is a unique experience found only with the one true God. Unlike when people prayed to their false gods, this kind of prayer actually gets results!

Because prayer is a special gift that God has reserved for us, it is not something to be taken for granted. In fact, approaching prayer with the right attitude is crucial. Luke 18:10-14 talks of two men who went to the temple to pray – a Pharisee and a Tax Collector. The Pharisee showed pride in his prayer and boasted about himself. The Tax Collector could not even lift his eyes to heaven and he acknowledged himself as a sinner in need of God’s mercy. This passage tells us to be humble when we pray. Similarly, 1 Chronicles 17:25 tells us that David had to gather courage to pray before God. He was certainly conscious of the almighty and glorious God he was about to talk to. Jesus showed reverence to God by kneeling in prayer in Luke 22:42. He showed submissiveness by saying “yet not My will, but Yours be done”. We need to remember that while God loves us and we are his children, when we pray we are communicating directly with the Creator of the universe. This is not something to be taken lightly or to be done half-heartedly.

Jesus and the Apostles gave several specific instructions in regards to prayer and also gave us examples of how to pray:

• Pray without ceasing (Mark 13:33; Luke 18:1; 1 Thess 5:17)
• Pray in secret (Matt 6:5, 6; Matt 14:23; Matt 26:36; Mark 1:35; Mark 6:46; Luke 5:16)
• Don’t use meaningless repetition (Matt 6:7-9; Matt 23:14). This is not the same thing as praying the same prayer multiple times. Jesus said the same prayer three times in a row (Matt 26:44).
• Forgive others while you are praying so that God will forgive you (Mark 11:25).
• Believe that you have received the things you pray for, and God will grant them to you (Mark 11:24).
• Keep it simple (Mark 12:40; Luke 11:2; Luke 20:47).
• Keep alert with an attitude of thanksgiving (Col 4:2)
• Pray without wrath and dissension (1 Tim 2:8)
• Pray in the Spirit (Eph 6:18; Jude 20)

Because of the relationship God has created with us, we are able to talk to God about anything that is on our heart as long as we have the right attitude and are willing to submit to His will. There are some things that we are instructed to pray for:

• Pray for those who persecute you (Matt 5:44; Luke 6:28)
• Pray for authority figures to lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity (1 Tim 2:1-2)
• Pray if you are suffering (James 5:13) – if you are cheerful sing praises
• Pray for the sick (James 5:14)

There are also examples of prayer content that give us insight into other things we should be praying for:

• Pray when making important decisions (these passages specifically show prayer in appointing spiritual leaders) (Acts 1:24; Acts 6:6; Acts 14:23)
• Pray for brethren in bad situations (Acts 12:5; Acts 12:12)
• Pray before sending workers out to do work for the Lord (Acts 13:3; Acts 20:36; Acts 21:5)
• Pray for others and request that others pray for you
  • To have the right words and boldness to share the gospel (Eph 6:19; Col 4:4)
  • That love may abound in real knowledge and all discernment (Phil 1:9; Col 1:9)
  • Give thanks for the faith and love of others (Col 1:3-4)
  • That God will open a door to share the gospel with others (Col 4:3)
  • That God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power (2 Thess 1:11)
  • That the word of God will spread rapidly and be glorified (2 Thess 3:1)
  • That we will be rescued from perverse and evil men (2 Thess 3:2)
  • That we will conduct ourselves honorably in all things (Heb 13:18)
  • The Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2)
    • Praise
    • Submission to God’s will
    • Ask for daily bread
    • Request forgiveness
    • Forgive others
    • Ask that we are not led into temptation

There are so many things that we need pray for, it’s no wonder we are told to pray without ceasing! Prayer should be constantly on our mind, something that becomes second nature and that we do all throughout our day. God knows that we won’t always have the right words to express our feelings or know the best way to communicate with Him. Thankfully Romans 8:26 tells us that we don’t know how to pray as we should so the Spirit intercedes for us. God accepts our imperfect ways and in addition to molding us into the people he wants us to be, He molds our prayers into what they ought to be. How amazing to have a God who loves us so very much! He doesn’t want our imperfect thoughts and speech to stop us from communicating with Him. Let God take you as you are and He will do the rest.

Liz Jinkerson